There were several issues facing Timothy as the young pastor in the church at Ephesus, but at the outset of his letter, Paul draws attention to the most pressing of these issues: the truth of the gospel had come under attack. False teachers in the church and culture had sought to distort the message of Jesus and distract the church from her mission and purpose. Paul begins his letter seeking to encourage Timothy in and exhort Timothy to the preaching of the true gospel.